Fc-GammaR-Mediated Phagocytosis in Macrophages

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Description

Phagocytosis is of fundamental importance for a wide diversity of organisms. Phagocytic cells in complex metazoans represent an essential branch of the immune system. Evolution has armed these cells with a fantastic repertoire of receptors and molecules that serve to bring about this complex event (Ref.1). In macrophages, different cell surface receptors stimulate different kinds of phagocytic response. Macrophage Fc-GammaRs (Fc-Gamma Receptors) play a key role in immune defenses by mediating prompt clearance of IgG (Immunoglobulin-G)-coated foreign particles from the organism by the process of phagocytosis (Ref.2). IgGs act as Opsonins, molecules that render the particle they coat more susceptible to engulfment by the phagocytes. The conserved Fc (Crystalline Fragment) domains of the IgGs are recognised by Fc-GammaRs present on [...]